Steve Carpenter
Hutchinson CC Sports Information Director

Ever since John Ontjes took over the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball program before the 2007-08 season, one thing has always been a constant entering each and every season.

High Expectations.

The 2023-24 Blue Dragon women face those same lofty hopes as the season opens Friday with the Eastern Oklahoma State Mountaineers in the BSN Sports Tip-Off Classic at 5:30 p.m. at the Sports Arena. Hutchinson plays NEO at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Blue Dragons are picked to finish second behind Butler in the preseason Jayhawk Conference Coaches' Poll, but are unranked in the NJCAA national preseason rankings.

One of the reasons for the lack of national attention was the way Hutchinson ended the 2022-23 season. The Blue Dragons were stung 73-68 by Coffeyville in the quarterfinal round of the Region VI Tournament, ending last season with a 23-8 record. The Dragons were 17-7 in the KJCCC last season and finished fourth.

Ontjes, who has built a 446-96 record in his first 16 seasons at Hutchinson, returns four players from last season, including two starters.

First-team All-KJCCC forward Monae Duffy (6'0, Lafayette, LA) is the leading returning scorer for Hutchinson. Last season, Duffy averaged 13.1 points per game and shot 48.1 percent from the field. She ranked third in the KJCCC in rebounding at 8.7 boards per contest.

Duffy had nine double-doubles last season with season highs of 25 points against Northwest Tech and 21 rebounds against Independence. Duffy had two of the top five all-time single-game rebound marks last season.

Sophomore point guard Journey Armstead (5'8, Tulsa, OK) was fifth in the Jayhawk Conference last season in assists, averaging 4.1 assists (141 total assists). Armstead averaged 9.6 points per game and looks to improve her shooting percentage from 33.1 percent overall and 20.1 percent from 3-point range.

Armstead had two 10 assist games last season and eight games of seven or more assists.

A pair of in-state players round out the group of returning Blue Dragons.

Forward Bree Horyna played in all 31 games, starting two. The 5'10 forward from Liberal averaged 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds. Five-7 guard Brynn McCormick played 13 games and averaged 1.7 points per game. She shot 28.6 percent from 3-point range.

The Blue Dragons look to improve an offense that struggled at times in 2022-23. Last season, the Dragons averaged 71.3 points while shooting 39.9 percent overall and 28.9 percent from 3-point range. Defensively, the Dragons allowed 59.2 points per game with opponents shooting 28.9 percent.

Ontjes welcomes two transfers into the program this season.

Sophomore guard Peyton Mosley (5'7, Prosper, Texas) played last season at Missouri Southern State University. Mosley appeared in 12 games for the Lions as a guard off the bench while averaging 2.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.3 steals in 5.2 minutes per game.

Guard Akaysha Muggeridge (5'9, Rockhampton, Australia) was at Sacramento State University last season. She appeared in six games last season.

Five freshman also join the Blue Dragons this season. Guard Kiki Smith (5'7, Topeka) was a highly south in-state prospect. Minneola freshman forward Madi Denison (5'11) is the other in-state freshman.

Guard Kahlen Norris (5'9, The Colony, Texas), forward Hailey Jackson (5'11, Tulsa, Oklahoma) and Jada Pleasant (5'7, Beaumont, Texas) round out the freshman class.